I had hoped to have this part done a week ago, for Jay's actual birthday on the 14th (in my books only, this is not canon!), but too much has just been going on...

And as much fun as it was to revisit this old AU – and to finally give Jay the chance to tell his side of the story – I've come to realise that I've long moved on from this story and its characters. I've therefore decided that there will be no further additions to this book after this one (even though I would have plenty more ideas for it).

I hope you will still enjoy this new (and final) chapter.

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Week 26

Saturday morning

"I got it." I jump up from the sofa when the doorbell rings. "That must be Nya."

For the first time since she's started at NIT, my girlfriend is spending the weekend back home in Ignacia. And while she's wanted to stay at her house last night and catch up with her brother and best friend, who's also come home from Ninjago City, she's going to meet me here now, with a special birthday surprise as she's promised me.

Yes, I'm turning 20 today.

Unfortunately, my dad has important meetings (probably to negotiate new conditions for the next instalment of Starfarers) all day long, but we went for dinner last night. And he's keeping tomorrow free, to take me and my friends out for brunch.

So, instead of being disappointed, I'm rather looking forward to spending the day with Nya.

But when I open the front door, I don't find my girlfriend standing outside but rather my best friend.

"What are you doing here?" I question.

"Good morning to you too." Cole replies unfazed. "Not the enthusiastic welcome I was expecting though."

"And you're not the person I was expecting." I apologise. "I thought you were-"

"Nya." He finishes for me. "She's kinda busy right now, so she's asked me to give you this." Before he hands me the fancy looking envelope, he pulls me into a hug. "Happy Birthday, mate."

I open the sturdy, sky blue envelope. Inside I find a printed card.

Dear Mr Gordon,

You are cordially invited to attend celebration in honour of your 20th birthday.

Please find your ticket below.

PS: Happy Birthday xx

There's a little golden paper strip taped to the card.

"It's one of those tokens that you win at the arcade." I explain to Cole.

You need about 2000 of those to get a lollipop or a packet of chewing gum – complete rip-off but with a lot of fun.

"The Arcade?" Cole raises his eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Having grown up with always the latest video game equipment and games – and often unreleased prototypes – we never went there as kids. I actually only discovered it this summer.

"Nya and I went on a date there." I explain. "It was fun."

"So, I guess that's where we're going now." Cole concludes. "Which explains why Sel reminded me to fill my car..."

"We can take mine." I suggest. "My new car." Birthday present from my dad.

Cole rolls his eyes. "Spoiled brat."

I quickly go back inside to grab my jacket and keys. When I tell Edna that I'll be gone for a while, she just gives me a knowing smile – looks like she's in this plan as well.

We take my new car – I am driving this first leg, but I had to promise Cole that he will get his turn as well – and drive into town to Benny's Arcade. There we pass all the fun activities and head straight to the counter.

"Hey Benny." I greet the owner.

"Ah, Mr Jason Gordon. Good morning. What can I do for you on this fine day?" He asks with a wink.

"Is there anything I can get for this ticket?" I show him the paper strip saying '1 Mio Tokens'

"Ah, that's a special one." In exchange, I receive another blue envelope – and 2 lollipops. "These are one the house. Happy Birthday."

Inside the envelope, I find another card.

Congratulations, you have solved the first clue. But before you get to celebrate, we need to remind you of some rules.

The most important one: Please be respectful and keep the noise level down, we do not want to disturb the neighbours – or angry house mates ;).

I burst out laughing. "I know where this is going – or rather where we are going. The next clue must be at Nya's house."

Cole smirks. "I see..."

"Get your head out of the gutter, Brookstone." I smack him, then relay the story of what happened after our first date. "Well, as it turned out, Nya's back was pressed against the doorbell, and Kai was not happy." I conclude. "But it was totally worth it."

"A story to tell your grandchildren." Cole laughs.

I blush. "I hope so. But first things first," I hold up the two coins that were also inside the envelope. "Face to Fist or Dancy Pants?"

I may have been disappointed about his appearance earlier, but now I'm having a great time hanging with my best friend. Despite being flatmates, we haven't seen too much of each other lately. The first weeks of term have been very busy with lectures and practicals, and we've both spent most of our spare time with our respective girlfriend.

Speaking about girlfriends, the next envelope is indeed hidden outside the main door at Nya and Kai's house, behind a flowerpot.

Well done. The card says.

Now to our next rule. As this is a very special occasion, we would ask you to adhere to the proper dress code. Please find an example attached.

It's a picture of Nya.

"In her school uniform." Cole notices. "But why would she send us to her school on a Saturday?"

"That's the photo from her yearbook." I recognise. The one that caused a stupid argument between us at her Graduation Party.

I am kinda embarrassed now how I overreacted; it was stupid to blow up over a stupid nickname, but I've met too many people who cared more about my name – or rather about my father's name – than about me.

Throughout my childhood, I've only had two real friends – Cole of course and Clancee, a shy boy that we had saved from the school bullies. Unfortunately, he is hardly ever around these days as he decided to join the Navy – despite suffering from severe sea sickness. He called me (very early) this morning to wish me a Happy Birthday.

"So, it's to the school gym then that we need to go?" Cole's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

Good thinking, but it just doesn't feel right. Why would she bring us back to that place and those memories? Unless...

"No, it has to be the bus stop." I realise.

That's where she gave me the note – the page torn from the yearbook – and that's where she first told me that she is in love with me. Definitely a much better, happier, memory.

At the bus stop, it doesn't take us long to find the next envelope, taped onto the timetable. I am absolutely sure now that someone is keeping track with us. This is a way to busy place, especially on a Saturday morning, for this to stay in one piece for long.

I am amazed by the effort Nya has been putting into this game. And it's far from over yet as it seems.

We're about halfway now with our preparations. Now that we have the outfits sorted, we need some matching accessories.

Another picture accompanies the note, this time a portrait photo of Nya with the silver necklace that I gave her for our three-months anniversary. She usually hides it under her clothes, knowing it would attract too much attention otherwise, but here she is wearing it on her bare skin.

The picture is cropped right below the star pendant, but I still know that she isn't wearing anything else on it – after all I was the one who took it.

"Nice necklace." Cole remarks with a grin.

"Stop staring at my girlfriend."

"You're the one who's staring." He teases me. "I think it will be safer if I drive the next leg."

At the Sunset Theatre, the location of our first real date, I receive, yes, another envelope as well as a birthday hug from Simon.

The note tells me that we need to collect the Guest of Honour.

It comes with a picture of the sign that I was holding when I collected Nya from the airport last summer. My girlfriend was utterly embarrassed that I publicly referred to her as 'The most beautiful girl in Ninjago', so she first walked right past me, pretending it was not for her. She then (jokingly) accused me of having found another girlfriend while she'd been on holidays with Skylor.

Which I would never have done. Even though we've only been together for about four months now, I know that Nya is the love of my life. And she simply is the most beautiful girl – person even – in all of Ninjago to me.

Cole sighs loudly, bringing me back to the present from my memories. "Does that mean we have to drive all the way out to the airport now?"

It would be a great opportunity to test drive my new car on the motorway, but I don't believe that Nya would send us all the way out there.

And indeed, when I remove the card from the envelope to have another, closer look at it, I notice a small, handwritten message on its back.

You didn't think that I was actually sending you all the way to the airport, did you? Especially as we already have our Guest of Honour – YOU!

But do you remember where we – you, me, Kai and Sky – all went after you'd collected us from the airport?

Now, that's an easy question. "We had lunch to Master Chen's." I inform Cole.

"Ooohhh, delicious noodles." He cheers and makes a beeline to the car.

Unsurprisingly, the restaurant and its surroundings are very busy this Saturday lunch time. But we're lucky; just as we are approaching the restaurant, one of Chen's home delivery cars vacates the parking spot right in front of the restaurant.

Coincidence or not? We'll definitely take it.

As well as the take-out box that the girl at the counter hands us. To my friend's disappointment, it does not contain any noodles though – and Vania claims that she has been given strict instructions not to serve him anything else today – but just a note and two fortune cookies.

Having collected the party food – "But there was no food!" Cole's complaint interrupt my reading. – we're almost sorted. All that's missing are of course the drinks. If you really want to know where to find those, you'll have to figure it out yourself.

The wording is oddly familiar – and very similar to what Nya told me on our second meeting, when I asked her about her favourite coffee: 'If you really want to know, you'll have to figure it out yourself.'

It took me a couple of weeks, but I did figure it out in the end, although it was more by coincidence than anything else. But it was during that time that we became friends, and eventually more, so I wouldn't change anything about it.

And while I don't like coffee myself at all, I've actually learned a lot about my caffeine-addicted girlfriend's favourite drink; thanks to the nice lady who runs the coffee shop near the comic book store. That's where I used to go every Friday to get Nya's coffee. And that's where we're going now.

At the coffee shop, Mystaké hands me a cardboard tray. "I have one for you as well." She then informs Cole.

My tray contains three large cups and one smaller one – my standard order: regular coffee for Nya, with some milk on the side, and two hot chocolates for Lloyd and myself – and a bag of jellies. No note this time, but it is not necessary either. From here, I'd always go to the same location.

"Comic Book Store?" Cole guesses, balancing his own, much larger, tray.

I nod. "Comic Book Store."

The shop appears to be completely empty, but we're not fooled. We hurry to safely place the coffee trays on the table before – Surprise! – my friends jump out of their hiding places from behind the sofas and shelves. I see Skylor and Kai, Seliel, Lloyd and Rufus, even Ed, Edna, and – my dad, smiling at me.

That means... this is the 'important meeting' he was mentioning earlier?! But... maybe I shouldn't be this surprised. We've not always had the best relationship, but he would always try and make time for me when it mattered.

But there should also be another person here who had claimed to be 'otherwise occupied'. As I walk around the store, looking for Nya, someone suddenly jumps onto my back.

"Surprise!" She laughs, hugging me from behind.

And while I was prepared for the first surprise, this one does actually catch me off guard, making me almost jump, even with the precious cargo I am carrying.

Still laughing, Nya slides off my back, and I turn around to face her.

"Happy Birthday, Jay." She smiles before pulling me into a kiss. "I hope you didn't mind our little game, we had to keep you busy while we were preparing everything."

"I actually enjoyed it." I reply truthfully. "Both being reminded of how we've started, but also just hanging out and catching up with Cole."

"I was hoping for that." Nya says. "I heard from Sel about your sixth birthday party, you know?"

One of my favourite childhood memories – if you ignore the horrible itching.

"Well, this treasure hunt was a lot more... sophisticated. Thank you."

"I had a lot of help." Nya gestures around. "And Cole had activated a tracker on his phone, so we could always follow where you were."

"I was wondering about the note on the bus stop."

"I had Kai put that one up."

"And the delivery van coincidentally vacating the parking space right in front of Chen's-"

"Was no coincidence at all." Skylor finishes the sentence as she emerges from the staff room, carrying a tray loaded with take-out boxes. "I had put the food on pre-order and just had to confirm it when Kai gave me the signal."

"Wow." I'm impressed. I've always had big parties, but – except for the (in)famous chickenpox infested one – they had always been professionally organised. "Why-why would you go through all this?"

"Because I love you, and I wanted to make your birthday special. You always do so much for me, and I wanted to return the favour."

"You've done so much more than that." I tell her. "Don't forget I like taking you out, because any time I get to spend with you is special to me."

And I know that Nya still isn't completely comfortable with me always paying the bill, but this is not a big thing to me at all. This here, on the other hand is.

I hug her. "Thank you for making my birthday unforgettable."

"In a good way I hope." Nya says. "I know you didn't really want a party last year, so..."

"A very good way." I assure her. There were a lot of things I didn't want a year (or even a few months) ago, but the 'rude new girl from the comic book store' has certainly changed my mind about some of those.

Now I can't imagine my life without her in it. And I'm looking forward to seeing what the future is going to bring for us.